Men arrested for wild chase to enter pleas

Two men suspected of endangering the public during a high-speed chase with police will enter their pleas before a judge.

Clifford “CJ” Galley, 23, and David Vasquez, 24, will appear in Douglas County District Court at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28 for an arraignment hearing in front of Judge Richard Caschette. The alleged co-conspirators are being tried together and are expected to enter pleas to the multiple felony charges filed against them during the hearing.

Galley alone faces 35 charges stemming from a chase that began Feb. 23 in Castle Rock when police attempted to arrest him on a warrant for assault on an officer. Prosecutors say Galley was driving a large pickup truck at high speeds and allegedly fired several shots at pursuing law enforcement agencies while driving north on Crowfoot Valley Road to Parker. He also allegedly swerved toward officers as they attempted to stop the vehicle.

Three Parker police officers who fired their weapons at the vehicle were put on leave immediately after the chase, but were cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation by the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

Chief deputy district attorney Karen Pearson made the “final determination based upon evidence and statements obtained during the investigation that all three Parker Police Officers involved in the incident acted either in defense of themselves or pursuant” to guidelines in the Colorado Revised Statutes, the investigation report says.

A passenger in the suspects’ vehicle, Gwen Devilbiss, 19, was hit by a bullet and taken to a hospital. She was the only person injured during the pursuit. Devilbiss has not been charged.

It is unclear how many shots were fired by police. The names of the officers have not been released, but they are back on active duty, said Doreen Jokerst, public information officer for the Parker Police Department.

A county court judge imposed a gag order requested by Galley’s public defender, Helen Hoopes, despite objections from prosecutors. The order sealed all case documents and barred those involved from speaking publicly about it. The move was unusual, as gag orders are typically put in place for cases with sensitive information.

Galley, of Northglenn, faces seven counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, along with a slew of other charges. Vasquez, of Federal Heights, has been charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, vehicular eluding, two counts of possession of a weapon by a previous offender and theft by receiving.